Several seismic survey companies have deeply regretted their involvement in the occupied Western Sahara over the last decade. Now, Morocco is trying to partner with yet another one - this time onshore. WSRW warns industry to not fall into the trap.

The new controversial block, Lemsid, is located in its entirety in the territory that Morocco is illegally occupying, south of the capital city of Western Sahara, El Aaiún.

The Moroccan state oil company ONHYM closes the tender on 30 July 2015, an assignment worth 84 million Moroccan Dirham. The tender can be seen in short version to the right, while the full version is downloadable here.

"The study area is located in Southern Morocco, between the cities of Smara, Laayoune, Boujdour and Guelta Zemmour", the tender states. This is incorrect. No state in the word, nor the United Nations, recognise this territory as part of Morocco. No reference in the tender documents mentions that the area is located outside of the internationally recognised borders of Morocco, nor does it refer to the legal rights of the people of the territory of Western Sahara.

"Companies planning to take part in the plunder of Western Sahara's resources must take into account the possibility for legal consequences. Western Sahara Resource Watch calls on all companies to not engage in the Lemsid block, or any other petroleum exploration in Western Sahara until a solution to the conflict has been found. Any oil exploration in Western Sahara taking place in violation of the wishes and the rights of the Saharawis, will only lead to a further entrenchment of the Moroccan position, and will undermine the talks for a solution to the conflict", stated Erik Hagen, campaigner in Western Sahara Resource Watch.

Further exploration of the hydrocarbons are in violation of international law as long as the people of Western Sahara do not consent to it. This was the main conclusion of a legal opinion of the United Nation's Legal Office on behalf of the UN Security Council.

Previously, a number of seismic services companies have been convinced by Morocco to take on such assignments, due to ONHYM's or the operators' failure to specify the real location of the blocks. Nearly all of the seismic survey companies that have worked in Western Sahara have since regretted their involvement:

"We admit having done a mistake. It feels very uncomfortable having contributed in supporting an occupation power", CEO of SeaBird Exploration, 2015.

"I have no problem in stating, in retrospect, that it might have been a bad idea to take this assignment”, CEO of Spectrum ASA, 2011.

"The company is often involved in oil and gas exploitation in areas where the local population has not been consulted. For that reason, the company has for instance stopped its involvement in Western Sahara" , Fugro NV, 2012 and its subsidiary Fugro-Geoteam "has decided to abstain from any further involvement in Western Sahara until the political situation has been resolved", 2010.

"TGS-NOPEC appreciates the complexity of the political issues in the area [...] As a result, the Company has decided not to undertake any new projects in Western Sahara without a change in political developments", Press release, 18.03.2003.

Other seismic survey companies have been alerted in time, and specifically avoided taking on such assignments: "“We have on several occasions previously refused to carry out seismic explorations in Western Sahara", PGS, 2009.

According to Africa Intelligence, the seismic studies will be shot on the block in 2015 and 2016. The tender documents state that the study will include a series of shallow drill holes, so called 'upholes' of up to 80 meters. The rest of the study will be done using seismic study equipment as shown on the video to the right. That video was shot on the neighbouring "Boujdour Onshore" block in 2010.

Morocco occupies the major part of its neighbouring country, Western Sahara. Entering into business deals with Moroccan companies or authorities in the occupied territories gives an impression of political legitimacy to the occupation. It also gives job opportunities to Moroccan settlers and income to the Moroccan government. Western Sahara Resource Watch demands foreign companies leave Western Sahara until a solution to the conflict is found.

It's not easy keeping up with all the different legal proceedings relating to Western Sahara. For the sake of clarity, here's an overview of the five different cases at the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Leading activists from Western Sahara are condemned to sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment in connection to a mass protest in 2010 denouncing the Saharawi people’s social and economic marginalization in their occupied land; the Gdeim Izik protest camp.

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